Work Text:
They get the call for the search and rescue mission in the middle of their lunch break.
He and Katsuki are sitting on the roof of some business complex, idly gazing over the streets as they eat. It’s an unseasonably warm spring day. Katsuki laughs and smiles like he only does when Izuku’s the only one looking at him. When they get the ping in their earpieces, they leave so fast Izuku accidentally leaves his All Might lunchbox on the rooftop.
They smell the fire before they can see it, but there’s no flames by the time they arrive. The whole skyscraper is a crumbling skeleton of ash that twists Izuku’s stomach. Izuku spots his friends near the base of the thing, directing the handful of other heroes already on the scene around them.
“Uravity! Ingenium!” Izuku calls. “We can go in. What’s not covered yet?”
Uraraka barely looks at him, only nods. “Very top floors. Nobody on scene yet has the mobility for it. I’d go, but they need me here to help catch the rubble if the whole thing comes down, and Ingenium’s running people to the hospital until EMS arrives.” She surveys the whole building up and down once more before looking at Izuku properly. “Can you do it?”
“Don’t ask stupid fuckin’ questions,” Katsuki says from his spot a half-step behind him. “Obviously we can do it.”
“You can count on us!” Izuku adds, with a gleaming smile for good measure. Uraraka grins, Katsuki huffs in mostly-feigned annoyance, and they’re off.
He and Katsuki climb past the heroes scouring the lower floors, gaining altitude rapidly with a combination of Katsuki’s blasts and Izuku’s power suit engines. They reach the top with ease, settling gently down on the ashen support structures still left.
“Fuck,” Katsuki says, as the two of them look around. The walls and ceilings have been completely burnt away in most spots. All that’s left is some crumbling support beams and the concrete remnants of the floors. Wind whistles through the remaining debris. The floor moves underneath them with every step. Izuku thinks it’s a miracle the thing is still standing at all. “Gotta be some idiot’s quirk, right? This is fucked up.”
“Gotta be,” Izuku agrees. “Let’s look around, make sure nobody’s still up here?”
Katsuki huffs his agreement. Izuku starts moving carefully forward.
They scour each floor from the top down, clearing what’s left of the building room by room before moving on. For the first couple floors, they find nothing.
“This is stupid,” Katsuki grumbles. They’re on the stairs descending to the floor fourth from the top. “There’s not even anybody fuckin’ here.”
“Maybe everyone got out before the fire spread this high?” Izuku says. “We have to be sure, though.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Katsuki grabs the door to the stairwell and wrenches it open, letting Izuku through first. “Whatever. Let's just get this over with. I didn’t even get to finish my lunch.”
Izuku can’t help but roll his eyes fondly. “I’ll buy Kacchan a new sandwich afterwards.”
“Idiot, I don’t need your fuckin’ sandwich money—”
“HELP!”
Izuku and Katsuki both whip around towards the noise. “Is someone there?” Izuku calls. “Where are you?”
“HELP! PLEASE HELP!”
Izuku turns on his heel and sprints towards the cry. He hears Katsuki following close behind him.
“Deku! Be fucking careful, it’s not stable!”
“HELP, PLEASE!”
“We’re coming!” Izuku calls. “I’m being careful, Kacchan!”
Izuku rounds a corner into what’s left of a long hallway. At the end of the hall, there’s a kid, maybe five years old, sobbing on the ground, covered in soot.
He looks uninjured, although certainly terrified. Izuku breathes a sigh of relief and slowly creeps towards him.
“Hey,” Izuku coos softly. “Are you alright? You’ve done a really good job staying safe until now. We’re here to help you out now.”
“I’m—” the kid sniffles loudly, but tries to sit up straighter as Izuku gets closer. “I’m ok, Mr. Deku, sir. I used—I used my quirk! To protect my head.”
“Wow!” Izuku says. He’s only arms reach from him now; he extends his arms, and the kid picks himself up off the ground to let Izuku lift him up. “That’s really cool! What’s your quirk?”
The kid extends his hands out in front of him and touches the tips of his fingers together. A dim glow emanates from the circle his arms make.
“It, um. It knocks away stuff that touches the circle,” the kid says. He stares at the circle for another moment before he drops his arms and averts his gaze. “It’s not that cool.”
“It’s super cool,” Izuku says. “What’s your name?”
The kid sniffles. “Haruki.”
Izuku smiles his most beaming smile. “Nice to meet you, Haruki-chan,” he says. He wraps a protective arm over the kid’s head as debris starts to crumble overhead. “I’m Deku. This is Dynamight. You’re safe now, ok?”
“Deku, we gotta go,” Katsuki says. As he does, the whole floor shifts underneath them. Haruki squeals in fear and tucks his face into Izuku’s neck. “Window by the stairwell was broken. Let’s go through that.”
Izuku hefts Haruki more securely into his arms and takes off, Katsuki at his heels. “You just want an excuse to jump out a window, Kacchan.”
Katsuki cackles. A piece of concrete crumbles to their left, narrowly avoiding their path. “Not denying that!” he calls. “Pick up the fuckin’ pace!”
Deku laughs and leaps over a crack in the floor below them. “I just want you to be able to keep up!”
“Fuck off!” Katsuki laughs. “You’re so—shit, Deku, move!”
A fiery burst explodes right next to Izuku, obliterating a massive slab of concrete falling right next to him. He and Haruki are thrown to the side with the force of it. Izuku’s ears are ringing as he curls Haruki close to his chest, trying to cover as much as he can. Katsuki’s at his side right away, hauling him back up.
“You hurt?”
“No,” Izuku says. “Thanks.”
“Yeah,” Katsuki says. One of his hands skims over Izuku’s shoulder, checking for injuries. “You ok, kid?” Haruki nods, sniffling, but clearly trying to keep a brave face. The floor shifts again, and Katsuki’s hand clenches around Izuku’s arm tightly. “Let’s get out of this shithole.”
“You should really watch your language in front of kids, Hero Dynamight!”
Katsuki rolls his eyes and shoves him forward. Izuku starts running again.
Every second that passes, the building crumbles faster and faster. Izuku and Katsuki leap between the remaining footholds with no room for error. Stray rocks barrage the protective arm Izuku has over Haruki’s head. Charred shrapnel rains down around them from every angle.
They’re only feet away from their escape route when Izuku hears Katsuki’s pained cry behind him and stops cold.
“I’m fine!” Katsuki yells, before Izuku’s even turned around to look at him properly. “I’m right behind you, Deku, go!”
The whole structure is dissolving underneath them, their footing more tenuous by the moment. Katsuki’s moving barely slower than him. Izuku reaches for him as they launch themselves off the side of the building. Katsuki catches his hand in free-fall, laughing manically as they hurdle towards the ground.
“Kacchan!” Izuku calls. Katsuki only whoops elatedly, his eyes alight. It’s contagious—everything about Katsuki is contagious, always has been—so Izuku laughs too.
The hard dirt underneath them is rapidly getting closer. Katsuki pushes off of him to gain some distance. Izuku presses the thrusters of his suit to max, slowing his descent. Katsuki twists his body to dive face down and catches himself with a red-hot explosion, blossoming up around his point of impact like a firework.
Izuku lands more gently a moment later. As soon as his feet touch the ground, the adrenaline leaves him all at once. Katsuki must be the same—Izuku watches him plop down graceless into the dirt as the smoke clears around him. He only remains sitting for a moment before he lets himself fall onto his back, extending a thumbs up into the air above him, knowing that Izuku must be watching him.
Izuku laughs and escorts Haruki towards the growing huddle of ambulances before trotting over to join his partner. Katsuki smiles at him, softer than Izuku’s used to even after all these years, and Izuku drops into the dirt next to him.
“It’s been a while since we’ve done a search and rescue, huh?” Izuku says. “That was—wow! That was something! I’m glad we were nearby, y’know? I know we just ate but I’m starving now. Maybe for dinner we could go—”
“Deku.”
Something’s wrong. Izuku knows right away from the tone of his voice. He bolts up to look at Katsuki.
“Kacchan,” Izuku says. Katsuki blinks at him slowly. He’s pale, struggling to keep his eyes open. All the adrenaline of the mission courses back through Izuku’s body in an instant. Shit. Shit. He scrambles closer. “Kacchan, hey, look at me.”
“Mmm.” Katsuki hums sleepily. There’s no resistance at all as Izuku pulls his shoulders into his lap. Katsuki’s blood pools under him as he does, saturating Izuku’s pants within moments. “Looking.”
“I need help!” Izuku shouts, directionlessly, over his shoulder. Iida and Uraraka immediately turn and start running towards him. “Kacchan, keep your eyes open, ok? Keep looking at me. You’re gonna be ok, I got you.”
“Ok,” Katsuki murmurs, but his eyes are closing again. “Deku?”
“Yeah, Kacchan, I’m right here.”
“Love you. Y’know I love you?”
“I love you too, Kacchan, I need you to stay awake right now, ok?” Izuku shakes him a little, but he barely reacts. He puts a hand on Katsuki’s wrist, just behind the jut of his thumb. His pulse is weak and thready. “Kacchan. Kacchan, hey!”
“‘m ok,” Katsuki murmurs. “Don’t worry about me.”
Izuku nearly laughs. The others are still too far away, even making their way towards him at full pace. “Kacchan. Katsuki, c’mon, look at me. Don’t fall asleep, ok? Kacchan, please, open your eyes.”
Katsuki’s eyes flash open. His scleras are blood-drenched. His pupils are blown. “Izuku,” he says. Izuku nods hurriedly. “I hope in our next life, you still look at me like that.”
Izuku’s sure his gaze must be searing. “Kacchan, if you die right now I swear to god I’ll never forgive you.” Katsuki’s body barely shakes with his weak little laugh. “Kacchan I’m serious. Kacchan!”
Katsuki’s pupils are frozen, his eyes unblinking, his whole body limp. Izuku shakes him—desperately, helplessly—with no response. “Kacchan!”
“Deku.” Izuku startles and turns to find Iida kneeling at his side. One of his hands is on Katsuki’s neck, two fingers pressing into his carotid pulse. “Give him to me.”
“Iida,” Izuku sobs. “He’s—I didn’t even notice he—he was just awake, he said—”
“Midoriya,” Iida snaps, in the same tone that he used on them all in high school as their class rep. Izuku’s mouth snaps shut. “He still has a pulse. He’s still breathing. Give him to me, I’ll take him.”
“You can’t go without me,” Izuku cries, as Iida gently lifts Katsuki from his lap. “Iida, Iida—”
“Deku, we can follow.” Uraraka’s voice, this time, at his other side. Izuku hadn’t even noticed her reach them. “Iida’s faster. Let him take Bakugo-kun, and we can follow, ok? Let him go, we’ll be right behind.”
Uraraka works her hand between Izuku’s and Katsuki’s, and Izuku releases the iron grip he hadn’t realized he was holding on Katsuki’s hand. Sobs wrack his body as Iida lifts Katsuki onto his shoulders and sprints away, engine on full blast.
Uraraka’s holding his hand tightly, a protective arm around his shoulders. Izuku’s knees feel weak. His stomach churns, his head light.
“M’gonna, Uraraka, gonna throwup—”
Uraraka moves just slightly over, but doesn’t leave his side. Her hand circles gently on his back as he heaves into the blood-reddened dirt beneath them.
“Let’s follow Iida, Deku, ok?” she says gently. “Are you hurt? Let’s go to the hospital, get you looked at—”
“No, no,” he cries. Uraraka’s already lifting them up, floating the two of them slowly away from where Katsuki’s blood has pooled. “I’m ok, I’m fine, they need to see Kacchan—”
“They can see both of you,” she says. “I’m sure they’ll see Bakugo-kun first. We want to make sure you’re ok too. That way you can be there when he wakes up, right?”
Izuku nods, but he isn’t really listening, because he knows that the whole world has narrowed to nothing around him anyways. Katsuki’s blood is still warm on his hands, so he clenches the one Uraraka isn’t holding and tucks it close to his chest as she pulls him along.
Katsuki dreams of a river, him and Izuku on the shoreline.
He can’t see much of their surroundings, but it’s hot enough that sweat drips down his brow, so it must be summertime. There’s a cooler between them with a couple drinks. The sun’s starting to creep below the horizon, the whole sky in front of them a vibrant, fiery orange.
Izuku’s hand is in his, fingers gently intertwined. His head is tipped back, eyes closed against the setting sun. He breathes evenly, calmly. When he opens his eyes and looks at Katsuki, he smiles. He’s beautiful, and Katsuki loves him, so it’s not like the other details matter.
“Water looks nice,” Katsuki says. “I’m hot. Gonna swim.”
Izuku frowns and closes his eyes again, settling back in his chair. “Mm, not right now,” he says. “Let’s stay like this a bit longer.”
“Whatever, you don’t have to come,” Katsuki grumbles. He stands from the chair and strips off his shirt, walking towards the rushing water. He extricates his hand from Izuku’s. “Just for a minute.”
Katsuki jumps in, full cannonball, trying to make enough force to splash Izuku. The water’s perfectly sun-warmed. He surfaces after a moment, shakes the excess water from his hair and pushes it back with one hand.
When he looks to his side, he sees Izuku’s still on the shore. He looks stricken when Katsuki finds his eyes again.
“What’s wrong?” Katsuki says. “C’mon in, it’s nice.”
“Kacchan,” Izuku says. His voice trembles like Katsuki’s never heard. Katsuki frowns. “Kacchan, come on. Come here.”
“What?” Izuku’s shaking, full body. Katsuki paddles closer, reaching one hand up onto the riverbank. Izuku grabs at him desperately, both hands wrapped around his wrist. “Izuku, hey—”
“Please, Kacchan, Katsuki, please—”
The river’s current tugs him gently downstream, slipping slowly out of Izuku’s grasp. Izuku’s panicked as Katsuki’s fingers lose traction on his. He’s sobbing, fat tears pooling until they spill in streams down his cheeks. Katsuki presses against the current to get closer to him.
Iida’s standing stoically outside the open door of one of the emergency room pods, hands held behind his back, eyes fixed on nothing.
Izuku sees it like he’s watching on a screen. The rush of doctors and nurses, swarming in and out of the room with blood bags and needles and little glass vials of medication. The crash cart at the bedside. Katsuki’s limp form on the bed, his hero suit cut off of him in pieces to get the pads on his pale chest. Uraraka says something to him when they get close, but he can only see her mouth move. Whatever words might be there have been replaced with a high-pitched squeal in his ears, sublimating everything else. Iida’s mouth is moving too. Izuku should probably be listening.
Midoriya, are you—Uraraka, is he alright? Should we get someone to see him too?
He doesn’t have any injuries. Just superficial. I don’t—I don’t think it’s a good idea to take him somewhere else, in case they need to know anything about Bakugo-kun, right?
Yes, I suppose so. I don’t really know how to go about this sort of thing.
Me neither. Deku? Hey, Izuku, can you hear me?
A nurse runs by, pushing into the already crowded room. Iida moves out of the way and goes to Izuku’s other side. He grabs Izuku’s shaking free hand and tucks it between both of his own.
Doctors come to speak to them. Izuku can’t hear them, but Uraraka and Iida keep asking him questions and then eventually just answering themselves. Countless people come in and out of Katsuki’s room. Izuku’s lungs are tight in his chest, and he’s positive it’s because he hasn’t taken a single breath since Katsuki was pulled from his lap.
Shit, lost the pulse. Starting compressions.
Bagging! Where’s respiratory?
Call OR now! We’re moving!
Izuku. Izuku, hey! Say something please, Deku, c’mon. Should we call his mom? I wouldn’t know how to reach her, maybe we could call the agency—
Uravity-san, reporters are in the lobby asking for comments about Dynamight-san.
Tell them they can f—
I’ll speak with them. Uraraka, stay with Midoriya, please.
Ok. Ok, come back soon, Iida. Izuku, are you there? It’s ok if you don’t want to talk, just let me know if you hear me, ok? They’re working on Bakugo-kun now. He’s in good hands. Izuku?
“It’s my fault,” Izuku murmurs. Uraraka and Iida both startle at the sound of his voice. “I didn’t—I didn’t notice he was hurt. If I would have paid more attention—”
“Midoriya,” Iida interrupts. “Your job isn’t over yet. Bakugo-kun still needs you, alright?” Izuku blinks at him. For the first time, Izuku’s able to see the tears shining in his and Uraraka’s eyes, too. For the first time, Izuku’s able to feel more than just the feeling of Katsuki’s dried blood under his nails. “Don’t give up. He needs for you not to give up on him.”
Izuku nods tightly. Uraraka squeezes his hand.
“Ok,” Izuku says, almost at a whisper. His voice is raw and dry, but he forces it out. It’s for Katsuki. He’d do anything for Katsuki. “Ok. I won’t.”
Katsuki dreams of darkness, and alarms, and of Izuku’s voice.
It’s a long dream. He has it over and over and over again, and it’s a little different each time. Izuku’s always there, though, and Katsuki’s head always hurts, and he always feels like he’s suffocating. Katsuki can never open his eyes to look at him.
Izuku talks a lot. He talks about hero work and their friends and their families and about their favorite TV shows and their apartment and about everything and nothing at all. The times when Izuku isn’t talking are the only times the dream is ever bad. As long as he can hear Izuku’s voice, Katsuki knows everything else will be ok.
Hey, Kacchan, Izuku says. A gentle hand wraps around his, another carding through his hair. The pain fades a little, Katsuki’s whole body relaxing. Katsuki wants to press into his hand, but he can’t seem to move his body. I’m here. I’m here, ok? I’m not going anywhere.
Izuku’s voice always sounds tear-laden, thick and heavy. That’s the worst part of the dream. Katsuki can never reach for him, or see him. Sometimes he can’t even listen—he hears the tones of Izuku’s voice, but the words are garbled, like Katsuki’s ears are stuffed with wax.
In one dream, Izuku’s sobbing with no words at all. Katsuki can’t even feel his hand anywhere, can’t feel his weight pressing into the bed next to him. That one’s Katsuki’s least favorite variation.
I need you, Kacchan. I need you with me, Izuku says. If—if you can hear me, I love you no matter what, ok? But I need you back. Don’t go. I need you to come back.
Katsuki coughs violently, his whole body spasming with it. Dreams are strange like that, he figures distantly. You say one thing and another comes out. He hopes Izuku hears it, hopes it sounds like I love you, don’t worry.
The intensive care unit only allows two visitors at one time, so when Mitsuki and Masaru Bakugo come to see their son, Izuku has to leave. Izuku loves Mitsuki and Masaru, but he’s glad to not have to see them. He’s not sure what he would say. Katsuki’s nurse promises to call him when he’s allowed back up, and Izuku thanks her, and goes to wander.
There isn’t much to explore. Izuku wanders through the lobby and the gift shop and the cafeteria and the couple halls available to him, and only feels more antsy with every second that passes. He buys a dry boxed sandwich that he can only take one bite of. He sits on a hard gray couch in the lobby and tries to sit as still as he can, eyes trained blankly on the wall in front of him. When his phone rings with a call from the nurse’s station, his whole body practically sings with relief. He takes the same winding path back through the halls of the hospital until he reaches the elevator to take him up to the ICU.
Mitsuki’s still in the room when Izuku opens the door. Izuku doesn’t mean to, but he feels himself freeze.
“Hey, kiddo,” Mitsuki says. “You avoiding me?”
“No,” Izuku says immediately. “No, Kaa-san, of course not.”
Mitsuki laughs. “Guess the brat was bound to rub off on you eventually. You’re a bad influence on my son-in-law, Katsuki, you know that?” She ruffles Katsuki’s hair lightly. “C’mere, kiddo.”
Izuku obeys hesitantly. Mitsuki wraps him tightly in her arms once he’s close enough. Something in him breaks. He didn’t want to cry again.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t protect him—”
“Hey, hey, none of that,” Mitsuki says, although her voice is wet too. “My son’s a hero, alright? He knew what he signed up for. Although I’m gonna kick his ass as soon as he wakes up.” Izuku laughs wetly. Mitsuki squeezes him tighter. “You’re family too. I’m glad Katsuki has you looking out for him.”
Mitsuki lets him go. She brushes a hand through Katsuki’s hair again.
“I wish I could trade places with him,” Izuku says. Mitsuki looks at him. “I’m sure Kacchan would be so mad at me if he heard me say that. But if I could have made it me instead I would have.”
Mitsuki sighs. “I know, kid,” she says. Her free hand finds Izuku’s and squeezes tightly. “Me too.”
Katsuki wakes up in a darkened room, and he’s choking.
The whole room is pitch black, save for the steady blinking lights of some machinery. Izuku’s not here. Katsuki knows Izuku should be here.
Katsuki coughs, and screams, and fights, trying to breathe again. He reaches for his quirk, and it’s not there, and he screams louder, and then it’s all gone.
Katsuki wakes up to the sound of his friends’ voices.
It’s Kirishima, he’s pretty sure. Maybe Jiro and Kaminari too, but Kirishima’s the closest, so he can identify him the easiest. He tries to open his eyes, but they’re heavy, his whole body fighting against him with every move. He doesn’t hear Izuku. Where’s Izuku? Kirishima’s talking, but Katsuki falls asleep again before he can pick up anything he says.
Katsuki wakes up in the middle of the night, and all the lights are on.
There’s about a million fucking extras in the room, all swarming and clambering over his bed. One of them puts something on his face, and he twists to try to push them off, his whole neck burning with the effort of just a little turn. They press the thing onto his face again. There’s another set of hands on his arms, holding him down. What the fuck.
Kacchan, it’s ok. Izuku’s voice. Oh. Izuku’s here. He sounds like he’s been crying. Let them help you, Kacchan, I’m right here. Let them help.
Well, if Izuku’s here, then it’s probably all fine. If it’s not, Katsuki can just kick his ass later. Katsuki relaxes, and falls back asleep.
Katsuki wakes up with Izuku’s hand in his. He can’t see him, but he’d recognize the feel of Izuku’s hand anywhere. Izuku brushes the hair from his forehead and plants a gentle kiss on his sweaty skin. Gross. Katsuki’s heart flutters. Even grosser. Some alarm beeps louder somewhere. He tries to squeeze Izuku’s hand, but he’s holding the bad arm, and he can’t seem to make his fingers curl.
Katsuki wakes up in a sterile white bed, in a pristinely clean room, head pounding.
He’s been in the hospital enough times to recognize his surroundings. He’s connected to a fuckton of IVs. He has a heart monitor on, steadily beeping from the screen above the bed. It must be daytime, based on the light outside—bright as the surface of the fucking sun, when Katsuki’s trying to rest, goddamn it—but Izuku’s asleep at his bedside. His head is pillowed next to Katsuki’s thigh on the clean sheets. He looks tired, even sleeping. His skin is so dry Katsuki can see the tear tracks tracing down his skin. Katsuki’s chest tightens. Damn nerd.
“Deku,” he tries. Barely any sound comes out, so he tries again. “Hey, Deku. Izuku.”
Izuku stirs, just barely. Katsuki lifts a shaky hand to his head. His hair is soft, if a little greasy. Idiot’s probably been here since Katsuki got admitted, however long ago that was. Katsuki sighs, carding the soft green hair gently through his fingers. Izuku stirs and blinks awake.
“Kacchan?” he says.
“Mm,” Katsuki hums. Izuku blinks wearily, still waking up. “Hey, Deku.”
Izuku jumps up so fast that Katsuki startles. “Kacchan!” he cries. “You’re awake!”
Izuku leaps towards him, cradling Katsuki’s face between his palms. He peppers his face with delicate, urgent kisses, like he’s worried Katsuki’s going to break, or disappear from under him. He’s crying again, nearly sobbing as his lips press to Katsuki’s cheeks and forehead and eyelids.
“Hey, don’t cry, idiot,” Katsuki grouses, although he can’t even pretend to protest the affection. Izuku kisses each of his cheeks again and then presses their foreheads together, tears streaming down his face. “I’m ok, don’t worry about me.”
Izuku freezes. Katsuki’s brain is still moving too slowly to notice right away, so it’s only when he opens his eyes again that he sees Izuku glaring at him.
“What—?”
“Bakugo Katsuki,” Izuku says. Katsuki’s blood runs cold. Shit. “I’m very, very mad at you.”
“What the fuck?” Katsuki says. “I just fuckin’ woke up, Deku, what the hell did I—”
“Do you remember what you said?” Izuku says. “Before you passed out?”
“No?” Katsuki says. “I don’t remember anything after I took that hit, fuckin’ honestly, I don’t—” At this, Izuku’s face pales. “Hey, I mean, it’s ok! I’m ok now. It’s all ok, Izuku, look at me.” Izuku’s eyes flit back to his. “I’m fine now. I’m sorry for whatever I said, I’m sure it was stupid. We’re both safe now, that’s what matters, right?”
Izuku sniffles and buries his face in Katsuki’s chest. Katsuki rests a bandaged hand on his back.
“Stupid Kacchan,” Izuku grumbles.
“Hah?”
“You said…” Izuku sniffles again, so Katsuki goes silent. “You started talking about in our next life—”
Katsuki feels cold, suddenly. “Oh.”
“I thought you died, Kacchan.”
Katsuki’s arms are weak, but he does his best to bundle Izuku closer anyways. Izuku sighs gently. Katsuki feels his tears puddling on his chest.
“I’m sorry,” he says. Izuku shakes his head. “I’m really sorry, Izuku.”
“Shut up,” Izuku says. Katsuki shuts up. “Don’t say anything else to make me mad at you, please.”
In lieu of speaking again, Katsuki leans down and kisses the crown of Izuku’s head. Izuku lifts his chin, resting on Katsuki’s chest to look at him before he sits up. Katsuki only has a moment to mourn the distance before Izuku leans in and kisses him properly.
“I love you,” Izuku says, in between delicate presses of his lips. “So much, Kacchan, more than anything, I love you, I love you—”
“I love you,” Katsuki repeats. Izuku only cries harder. Katsuki uses all the strength he can muster to lift a hand to his face, brushing his thumb delicately over Izuku’s cheek. “Hey, Izuku, c’mon. I’m ok. It’s ok. You’re not getting rid of me for a long time, alright? Stop acting like you think I’m so easy to kill.”
Izuku laughs wetly. Katsuki feels a million times lighter. “Sorry, Kacchan,” he says. “You did almost die. Your heart stopped.”
“Eh, it’s done that before,” Katsuki says, mostly so he can kiss the frown off Izuku’s lips afterwards. “Fuck, I’m tired. All I’ve been doing is fucking sleeping and I’m still exhausted.”
Izuku cups his cheek with one hand, fingers brushing back and forth soothingly. “Kacchan needs to rest and heal,” Izuku says. “Go back to sleep, it’s ok.”
Katsuki grumbles. “Wanna stay up,” he says, but under Izuku’s careful ministrations Katsuki’s eyes are only getting heavier. “Wanna talk to you, missed you.”
Izuku chuckles. “I’ve been here the whole time, Kacchan. You haven’t even been conscious.”
“Whatever. Still missed you,” Katsuki says, and doesn’t care if he sounds a little petulant. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll just sleep a little.”
Izuku shifts so he’s sitting on the bed next to Katsuki. One of his arms wraps around Katsuki’s shoulder, guiding his head so Katsuki can rest on his chest. Katsuki hums, pleased, and tucks his legs up to make more room. He registers distantly that he’s being clingy—he wraps his free arm around and under the weight of Izuku’s body, just to make sure he’ll really have a hell of a time if he tries to get up—but he’s too tired to be embarrassed by it. If someone comes in and sees Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight sleeping on Deku’s chest, that’ll be their problem, not his.
“Ok, Kacchan,” Izuku says softly. He has a hand on Katsuki’s head, brushing gently and rhythmically through his hair. “Not going anywhere.”